Contents

Bryon Douglas and Mark Jennings have been like brothers since childhood but now times are changing. Bryon is growing up and thinking about who he wants to be, but Mark is still living for the thrill of the moment.

The book starts out with their mom being in the hospital. She is Bryon's birth mother, and Mark's adoptive mother. Mark's parents died in an argument with each other when they were both drunk and ended up shooting each other. So Mark and Bryon have to make money to help support the family while their mom is in the hospital getting surgery.

Bryon gets a job at the local supermarket while Mark starts bringing in lots of cash. Bryon doesn't ask where it's from, but eventually discovers that Mark has been getting his money by selling drugs to hippies. Bryon is horrified, since his girlfriend's 13-year-old brother M&M went mad because of someone selling him drugs. Bryon calls the police on Mark, loosening their bond. When Mark comes home he tells him that he found the drugs and Mark says that he will stop if it makes Bryon upset. Bryon says it is too late, that he already called the police. Mark is surprised and does not believe it. The police come and take Mark away to a reformatory. A couple months afterwards Byron visits Mark and Mark makes it very clear that he now hates him. Later, Mark acts up frequently and is sent to prison.

The book, like Rumble Fish, takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the same universe as Hinton's first book, The Outsiders. However, unlike Rumble Fish, Ponyboy Curtis, the main character of The Outsiders, appears in That Was Then, This Is Now and even takes part in the events surrounding the dance and killing spree.

The characters of Tim and Curly Shepard from The Outsiders also appear, as does their sister Angela, who is original to That Was Then, This Is Now. Randy, who was in The Outsiders, also appears as a hippie in this book, which is appropriate to those who have read or seen The Outsiders, as Randy is an affluent kid who feels guilty about the class division and becomes repulsed by it, which is the background and beliefs of many hippies. In Tex, there is a brief description of Mark and Cathy, who are original to That Was Then, This Is Now.